Brethren
by IzumiTheMoogle
Summary: Adapting to an entirely new world can be extremely hard. Especially when you're suddenly in one that is both dangerous and thrilling! Having to defend herself will give this girl a completely new outlook on life. -Bad Summary, Please Read!-
1. Awakening

"I'm a nightmare… A disaster… That's what they always said… I'm a lost cause, not a hero… But I'll make it on my own…" Lizzi walked down the dirt path that led from her house, to her grandmother's house, to the woods. "Man, that song is going to be stuck in my head forever…" She thought, annoyed that she had been humming the same tune- "Me Against the World"- for HOURS, and she just couldn't seem to stop. "Curse you Naruto, for having such a cool theme song…" She muttered in a sarcastic tone of voice. 'Naruto' was an anime show and character that she was really into at the time. It was an awesome show, and she got hooked easily. Of course, that's just the way she was about most every anime show she saw.

She tossed her head up to brush the strawberry-blond bangs that she had out of her face. Even though she wanted to grow them out, they were at a really annoying stage. "Not long enough to put behind my ear, and not short enough to keep it out of my eyes," Is what she called it.

The sun had just begun to set, and Lizzi peered through the trees of the woods to see the sun shining through the cracks in between them. "Man… I wish I brought a camera," She thought scornfully. Lizzi had always been a sucker for a scenic view, which is why she liked to walk in the woods so much; it was nice and she could collect her thoughts.

Anyway, after a second of staring she started up the path again, walking up the hill which kind of forked out: the straight path led to the end of her family's property and back farther into the forest, while the other led to her grandmother's house. Lizzi took the straight path back into the forest, watching her footing to make sure she didn't step on any deer droppings, even though there was tons of them in that area, so she was pretty used to it.

All of a sudden, she felt dizzy… there was a strange ringing sensation in her ears and she felt almost completely off balance. She began to fall, but caught herself on a nearby tree. She proceeded to slide down to the ground and take deep breaths. When she looked up, the world around her seemed to be turning clockwise, and her with it. Once again she caught herself on the tree. "W-What's going on…?" She said to herself, quite out of breath. Was she sick? If so, she had never had the affects be this immediate before. After a moment, everything just went dark…

………………………………………………………..

Her eyes fluttered open and it took her a while to figure out that she was on the ground. When she did realize this, it took her another few moments to stand up. She rubbed her head tiredly and stretched. "I've never passed out before… Wow… This is gonna be one heck of a sto-" She froze in her spot and looked around frantically. "Wait a second… Where am I? This… This isn't my forest back home…"

It was true; this definitely WASN'T her forest back home. There was no path in the forest that she was occupying, no road on the side, no housing developments… It was just trees. It scared her, on top of all that. How did she get so far away from home? Not knowing what else to do, she slowly started walking south of the direction she was standing in. She wasn't sure if wandering around or staying put was the better idea, but she really didn't want to be alone in a place she had never been to before. As she walked, the slightest sound made her knees almost cave. After a few minutes, she seemed to be getting nowhere still. But… "There has to be civilization somewhere, right?"

Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her. "… Something in the bushes? No… It's not the right sound… Sounds more like something BIG sliding this way… But the only animal that can slide that I know of is-" She covered her mouth with one of her hands and her eyes widened to very large proportions. "Snake…" Lizzi said in a shrill whisper. She broke out in a sprint just as a ridiculously large mamba snake boomed out of the brush behind her. It had to be at least six feet wide. This thing would have no problem in eating Lizzi whole. No, it could eat dozens of her. The snake made a hiss that sounded more like a roar and started to give chase to Lizzi. She screamed when the snake did, but the snake was so large that she could barely hear herself yelling for her life. She ran even faster, her legs throbbing miserably. This was when she regretted not being in shape.

Lizzi continued to run through the seemingly endless forest when she saw something on the horizon. It was a large mountain with four faces carved into it; much like Mt. Rushmore. Below it she could barely make out the rim of what looked like a town. Now was when she really panicked; this could be a huge problem if the monster snake that was pursuing her came into the town. Lizzi would never forgive herself if people died because of her. However, she had no choice but to keep running. There was no other way she could turn now. She had dug her own grave and jumped into it. "I'm dead…" She thought, and tears started forming in her eyes. Then, out of the blue, she heard a… familiar yet strange sound.

"Lightning Blade!!!!" A voice boomed and Lizzi looked up to her left. All she could see was a young man with a ball of what looked like lightning in his hand. The lightning came down on the snake, or that's what Lizzi thought, because she was still running. However, after she heard the snake cry out in pure agony, she stopped and turned around, gasping for breath. The snake now had a giant bloody hole in its chest. The young man pulled his fist out of the beast as fast as he could, but the snake was quicker; it lashed out with its tail and knocked the man off of his feet, sending him flying backwards. Lizzi noticed that something came out of a pouch he had on his waist. It looked sort of like a small knife with bandages around the hilt. Lizzi recognized it to be a kunai knife. The kunai stuck in the ground by its point, and the young man was trying to regain the balance he had lost. The snake then threw its head towards him with its jaws open, obviously going for the kill.

"Oh no!" Lizzi yelled frantically. Doing the only thing that made sense, she ran over, took the man's kunai knife, and threw it as best as she could towards the snake. She was glad to see that her hours of throwing knives with her big brother had paid off; the kunai hit the beast right in the forehead. Once again it cried out in distress and pulled its head back, throwing it around furiously. It was trying with all its might to get the lodged kunai out of its head. The young man recognized this as an opportunity and lunged at the beast, doing some strange hand motions and then proceeding to say, "Fireball Jutsu!" A giant ball of flame came out of the man's mouth and engulfed the snake's body. For the last time, the snake cried out in misery and then fell to the ground as the flames withered away. Its corpse was smoking and Lizzi could see that the trees to the back of them had been almost totally demolished by the beast's huge body.

The man gave a long exasperated sigh and turned to Lizzi, who was still slightly heaving from running all that way. "Thanks for the backup," He said. Lizzi had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming and jumping onto the man in embrace. He had gray/silver hair that stuck up and over to the left, with a navy blue headband tied around his forehead. On the headband was a leaf-like symbol. His right eye was black, while his left was red with black circle patterns on it, not to mention a scar under and above his left eye. However, Lizzi couldn't see his face. It was covered by a navy blue mask from the nose down. He wore a green vest and a pair of black sandals that you wouldn't find commonly around Lizzi's home. Lizzi recognized this face WAY too well, but no… It couldn't be THAT guy… Could it?

"D-Don't mention it," Lizzi said, not able to hold back her excited smile.

The young man pulled his headband down over his left eye and then looked at Lizzi again. "Are you hurt?" He asked.

She shook her head no. "But… still, thank you for saving me."

The young man smiled at her. Even though Lizzi could only see one of his eyes, she knew he was smiling. "No problem. I'm Kakashi Hatake by the way. Could I have your name? I don't think I've seen you around here before."

Once again, Lizzi had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. It was him! Kakashi Hatake was one of the main characters from one of her favorite shows, Naruto. He also happened to be someone she liked a lot. This was crazy though; Naruto was a TV show… But now she was actually meeting one of her favorite characters… It had to be a dream. "No… You haven't I'm sure of that," Lizzi said nervously. She was about to tell him her name, but then she thought, "Wait… I'm not from around here at all. My name isn't even like theirs in any aspect… I'd better go with my 'other' name then…"

"… Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked.

"O-Oh, yeah," Lizzi said nervously, scolding herself mentally for spacing off in front of him, "My name's Izumi."

"Izumi…huh…" Kakashi almost sounded like he didn't believe her, which was something Lizzi was very afraid of. "Well, alright then…" He finally said after a moment or two of silence. "Are you from the Leaf Village?"

The Leaf Village was Kakashi's village. It also was where a lot of the action in Naruto took place. And also, no doubt, it was the 'town' that Lizzi saw while running from the snake. "…I…" She had no idea what to say. Of course she wasn't from the Leaf Village! But she couldn't say that she was from a different world; they would think she was crazy. Even though it was perfectly true. "I'm not sure," Lizzi said, trying to sound confused, so that she could get away with it. But Kakashi was a ninja! Surely he could see through this illusion.

Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and gave an intellectual short sigh. "Well then… In that case, I'll have to take you to see Lord Hokage."

'Lord Hokage' was the leader of their village; the head ninja as well. There had been four Hokages from the time the village was born, to present. This Hokage, Sarutobi, was the 3rd Hokage. The 4th had died a while ago, or at least that's what Lizzi thought. A giant nine-tailed fox demon was terrorizing the village, and the 4th Hokage sacrificed himself to protect his village by sealing the spirit of the fox inside a newborn baby.

"Lord Hokage…" Lizzi repeated, almost in awe, "The leader of the Leaf Village… right?"

Kakashi nodded and eyed Lizzi. "Strange… Are you sure you're not from the Leaf Village?"

"I-I'm sorry, but… I'm not really sure…" Lizzi replied clumsily.

"…Right…" Kakashi turned and started walking. "Follow me please, Izumi…"

Lizzi nodded and trailed Kakashi, being careful not to step in front of him out of excitement. In all of the 'excitement', she didn't even notice that it was dark now, and as they walked through the streets of Konoha, the Leaf Village, very few lights were on. Soon, they came to a large tower in the middle of the village. Lizzi recognized it from the series to be the Hokage's tower. She followed Kakashi into the tower, and as they walked up to Lord Hokage's room, Lizzi tried to avoid making eye contact with those who were staring at her. Finally, they got to the room, and Kakashi gave a light knock on the door.

"Come in," came a gruff voice from inside. Kakashi turned the knob and the two stepped inside. Sitting at a desk at the head of the room was an elderly looking man with a Japanese style red and white hat on that had a little veil to the sides. On the hat was a symbol that Lizzi knew to be the Japanese character for 'fire'. The man also wore a red and white robe. A pipe occupied the left corner of his mouth.

"The snake is dead Lord Hokage," Kakashi said formally, "It didn't get to the village."

The Hokage took the pipe out of his mouth and set it on his desk, "Good. Thank you Kakashi," He looked at Lizzi and she began to grip her pants tightly. "Ah… So this is who the snake was after…"

All of a sudden, another young man opened the door and walked in. "Excuse me for not knocking Lord Hokage, but I-" He stopped short when he saw Kakashi and Lizzi. "Oh… Am I interrupting something?" He asked.

The Hokage shook his head, the smile not vanishing from his face. "Not at all. I was hoping you'd come in, Iruka."

Lizzi once again gripped her pants tightly. Iruka Umino was one of the teachers at the Ninja Academy, and he was also someone Lizzi liked a lot. Iruka had tanner skin than most other ninja around the Leaf Village, and brown hair that was tied up in a samurai like ponytail. He had dark eyes like Kakashi (Or at least one of Kakashi's eyes) and a long scar that went across his nose. In all of her days of watching Naruto, she had no idea how Iruka got his scar. He even had it when he was a kid, or that's what Lizzi had gathered. Iruka also wore an outfit that was almost exactly the same as Kakashi's except for Kakashi had gloves on his hands while Iruka did not. Also like Kakashi, Iruka wore his headband on his head.

Iruka bowed and then stepped inside. He glanced over at Lizzi, and a slight look of surprise came onto his face. "Who's this, if I may ask?"

Kakashi put his hand on Lizzi's shoulder. "She was being hunted by that giant snake I'm sure you heard about."

Iruka looked even more surprised. "Oh! That was what I was going to ask about…"

"Don't worry, it's dead…" The Hokage said reasurring Iruka.

"Thank goodness it didn't get to the village…" Iruka said, obviously relieved.

The Hokage nodded and then looked towards Lizzi again. "So… What's your name?"

Kakashi nudged Lizzi forward a bit. She almost toppled over, but caught herself. She let go of the tight grip she had on her pants and bowed as formally as she could. "My name…" She began, "Is Izumi Takahashi; it's an honor to meet you Lord Hokage."

The Hokage looked at her seriously, with an ounce of surprise on his face. Iruka's eyes widened, and his mouth was slightly agape. Lizzi could feel their eyes burning into her head, and it made her nervous again.

"… I see…" The Hokage said, thinking about what to do next, "Do you know why the snake was chasing you Izumi?"

"No sir," Lizzi shook her head, trying hard to keep a polite manner about her, "It just came out of nowhere…"

"Hmm…" The Hokage put his pipe back into his mouth, "Well, we certainly can't just leave you out in the woods," He smiled at her again, "Would you like to reside here, Izumi?"

Lizzi wanted to run over and give the Hokage the biggest hug he'd ever received, but that would be more than disrespectful, "Y-Yes, sir!" She tried not to sound TOO excited. She could hear Kakashi chuckle softly behind her. She felt embarrassed and thought she was acting childish…

"Alright then," The Hokage said, "We don't have any apartment rooms available right now, so you'll be staying here tonight."

"Lord Hokage…" Lizzi said, bewildered that she actually had the chance to stay in the Hokage's Tower, "Please sir, I don't want to be a bother."

"You won't be, don't worry," The Hokage replied, "Down the hall about three doors, you'll find an empty room with a bedroll on it. It's not much, and I apologize for that, but it's all we can offer right now."

Lizzi shook her head, "Oh, please don't apologize. I'm eternally grateful."

The Hokage smiled once again, and nodded, "I know you must be tired after tonight's endeavors. Please feel free to go to sleep if you wish and get settled in."

"Thank you very much sir…" Lizzi said, "If there's anything you need me to do, I'll be glad to help." She bowed politely. "Please excuse me. Lord Hokage sir… Kakashi sensei, Iruka sensei…" She bowed to all three of them and then exited the room.

She walked down to her room and looked around; inside there was indeed a bedroll, a desk, and a bookcase. Also, there was a clock on one of the walls. Lizzi was glad for it, so she wouldn't wake up late… As she lay down on the bedroll, many thoughts were swimming around in her head…

"I'm not Lizzi anymore…" She mumbled to herself, "From now on, I'm Izumi Takahashi…" After smiling to herself and saying her new name over and over again, she rolled into a comfortable position and fell right to sleep.

After the door had closed behind Lizzi (now Izumi), the Hokage took the pipe out of his mouth once again and set it down on his desk. "Hmm…" He pondered his thoughts.

"… Are you sure she was telling the truth about her name?" Iruka asked nervously.

"I don't think she would lie. She's not the kind of person who would do that… At least, that's the impression I get. You saw how polite she was," Kakashi put his hands in his pockets.

"It does seem farfetched," The Hokage replied, "but it's worth believing."

Kakashi chuckled lightly, "Oh, it's definitely the truth. I can tell."

"How do you know?" Iruka questioned.

"I remember seeing that same face twelve years ago…" Kakashi said, his voice lowering, "It hasn't changed at all."

"Oh… You knew the Takahashis?" Iruka seemed kind of amazed.

Kakashi nodded, "That was the last time I ever saw them; on their heir, Izumi's, first birthday," He said dryly.

"Yes, I remember too…" The Hokage nodded, "That's right… Now that I think about it, her face hasn't changed that much…"

"So there really is a survivor," Iruka said.

"Yes, and if she truly is who we think she is, we'll have to keep a close eye on her. The fact that she of all people had a snake chasing her worries me…" The Hokage stated.

"… Do you think that _he_ knows that she's back?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't know," The Hokage replied, "but we can't take our chances. She's not to leave this village. Iruka, I need to ask a favor of you."

"Anything," Iruka said.

"I need you to take Izumi to the Academy tomorrow. Your class ought to get to know her."

"Do you think she has any experience? I mean, her family died years ago. I'm sure that she doesn't even remember them."

"Oh, I think she at least knows the basics…" Kakashi said, "At least, that's what I thought when she saved me from that snake…" He had a sarcastic edge to his voice.

"What???" Iruka's eyes widened.

"Well, not totally. I happened to drop a kunai, and when the snake came at me, she lodged it into the creature's forehead. It gave me a chance to strike it down."

"A lot of the students in my soon to be graduating class don't even know how to hit a target with a kunai; much less lodge it into something's forehead…" Iruka exclaimed.

"Well, just make sure not to pressure her too much. It will be hard for her, a student that's older than the graduating class, to be a beginner," The Hokage said, sounding serious.

"I know," Iruka nodded. He seemed a little sad.

"Anyway, both of you are excused. Go home and get some rest," The Hokage said, letting them go.

"Thank you sir," They both said.

After they left, the Hokage looked out the window. "I wonder how she'll handle this…"


	2. The Ninja Academy

The next morning, Izumi was awakened by the sound of her room's door opening. She opened her eyes tiredly and sat up, looking around to see Iruka looking down at her, smiling.

"Good morning Izumi," He said cheerfully.

Izumi rubbed her eyes and tried to fix her hair, just in case it got all messed up during the night. "Oh, good morning," she replied.

"I hope you had a restful night," Iruka said.

"Yes, I did, thank you," Izumi stood up. "Is there something you wanted of me?"

Iruka nodded, "Today, the Hokage requested that I take you to the Ninja Academy. I happen to be a teacher there, so I can introduce you to the class…"

Izumi's heart jumped. She was going to meet Naruto's class!!! "Alright!" She said, trying not to sound overly excited.

"Also, today you'll begin your ninja training," Iruka continued, "I heard that you already know how to use basic ninja weaponry. This shouldn't be too hard!"

Izumi couldn't hold in the gasp that she had been trying to keep looked up inside of her. "Thank you Iruka sensei!!" She smiled widely.

He returned her smile. "Don't mention it. Now, first things first; we're going to have to get you some new clothes."

Izumi remembered that she was still wearing her clothes from the day before and looked down at them. She nodded at Iruka and then followed him into a different room. There was a desk sitting in one of the corners, and Izumi noticed a bundle of clothes sitting on it. Iruka walked over to it and picked up the clothes. He unfolded them and showed them to Izumi.

"Lord Hokage had these brought here earlier this morning," he said, "He thought you might like them."

"Oh…" Izumi said, feeling kind of guilty in a way, "Lord Hokage bought me these…? I have to make sure to thank him…"

The outfit, Izumi noticed, was exactly like the one that a minor character in the Naruto Videogame (Karin Kagura, from Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles) wore. It was a sort of cream colored kimono like outfit, with a red ribbon that tied right below the chest. The lower part reached down to the thighs, and then under those were black tight leggings, and a pair of Konoha Sandals. They were like the ones Kakashi and Iruka wore, but these were blue.

"Oh wow…" She exclaimed as she looked at the outfit with a spark in her eyes. "May I put it on Iruka sensei??"

Iruka laughed and handed Izumi the clothing, "Of course! Now hurry or we'll be late for class!"

"Yes sir!" She said happily as she took the clothing items and rushed into another room to change.

Izumi looked at herself in a mirror before she returned to Iruka in her new clothes. She smiled at herself; this was definitely something she could get used to. After she looked in the mirror, she quickly returned to Iruka, not wanting to be late to her first day at the Ninja Academy.

"You look very beautiful in those clothes!" Iruka said happily as Izumi returned to him.

She blushed slightly; embarrassed but at the same time, flattered, "T-Thank you sensei…" She said nervously.

"You're welcome," Iruka replied, "now let's get going."

Izumi nodded and then exited the tower with Iruka, walking excitedly to the Academy. She couldn't hold back the wide smile she had locked up inside of her when she laid eyes on the school. However, she didn't say much; Iruka was the one who did most of the talking as they walked down there. He pointed out the 'Hokage Faces' which happened to be the mountain with faces on it that Izumi had seen the night before. The carved faces into the sides were the faces of the previous Hokages, not to mention the present one. Izumi already knew that of course, from watching the show, but she couldn't let on that she knew as much as she did; she had to keep it low-key. So while Iruka explained everything about the Leaf Village that Izumi already knew, she nodded and looked like she was trying to learn. It didn't take much however, being as Izumi was completely infatuated with the Naruto world and couldn't wait to explore the Leaf Village on her own.

Anyway, Iruka brought Izumi in with him and they looked in all the different classrooms. Finally, they came to Iruka's class. Izumi followed Iruka inside, her heart beating like a bass drum.

When they entered, something was going on that Izumi knew was going to happen; a whole group of girls all arguing over who would sit next to HIM; Sasuke Uchiha. It was never a wonder to Izumi why the girls would fight over him though. Sasuke was the best student in the class, not to mention he was very attractive. His dark eyes showed not even a hint of happiness or sadness as the girls fought over him. It was routine though, so he was used to it. That didn't mean he liked it however; Sasuke gave off the impression of a loner who could freeze the biggest conflagration over with just his stare. He had black hair that stuck up in an odd angle; it actually looked like the back feathers of a certain bird. Izumi knew this because she had read online once that the creators of Naruto modeled Sasuke's hair after this bird. Sasuke wore a fairly simple outfit; a blue t-shirt with a sort of puffed out turtle neck, white and blue arm and leg warmers, and Konoha Sandals. Of course, everyone in the village wore those sandals, so it was to be expected. On the back of Sasuke's shirt was a red and white figure that looked like an upside down fish bobber. However, it happened to be the Uchiha Clan symbol.

Izumi snorted slightly when she saw all of those girls fawning over Sasuke, but kept it quiet. She didn't want to attract any attention.

Iruka sighed, knowing that this was not something special. "Girls, please find a seat. We have a guest, so I want to get started with the lesson."

At that moment, Izumi felt about two inches tall. "He had to go and say that… "She thought miserably as everyone in the class started to stare at her except Sasuke.

"Who is she Iruka sensei?" A pink haired girl asked. Her hair reached down to the middle of her back, and she had a red ribbon tied on the top of her head. She had very pretty aqua eyes and bangs that parted at the tip of her forehead and reached down to under her chin. Her forehead was kind of large compared to the other girls in the room, and she wore a red dress type kimono that reached down to right above her knees, and some black tights like Izumi's.

Izumi knew right away who she was; Sakura Haruno. She was a major Sasuke fan girl and was constantly trying to get him to notice her, although, it never really seemed to work.

"This, Sakura…" Iruka started, putting one hand on Izumi's back, "is Izumi Takahashi. She's new here, and she'll be joining us for today."

"So… She's a beginner?" Another student asked.

Izumi felt her face get hot at this point. She knew this wasn't going to be easy; she was their age, no, older. But, she was years behind them in talent. She felt out of place here, and it was unnerving.

Iruka knew that Izumi didn't feel comfortable with that comment, "She's just here to observe today… Izumi, why don't you go sit by Sasuke so we can get on with our lives?" He said sarcastically.

Izumi nodded and walked up the rows of desks and sat down by Sasuke. She glanced at him for a second, but then turned away, not wanting to annoy him. She knew how much he hated that. Instead, she focused up to the front of the room, trying to avoid the tons of death stares she was getting from the other girls, who were forced to find other places to sit.

Sasuke acknowledged her presence, but didn't pay attention. He sat with his elbows on the table and his fingers interlocked. "Hmph… She's a beginner at our age… I hope we don't have to partner up. She'll only slow me down…" he thought blankly. "Whatever though…"

All through the class period, Izumi listened and watched, learning about a few things, like how to do a basic clone jutsu, and types of fighting stances. At one point, Iruka placed a scarecrow-like figure with a target on its center at one of the far sides of the room. He asked the students to come down in the pairs from their desks and try to hit the figure as many times as they could with five kunai. When it was Izumi and Sasuke's turn, Izumi heard a lot of discouraging things as she walked down behind Sasuke.

"I bet she can't even graze the target," One of the girls hissed as she walked by.

"Sasuke's ten times better then she'll EVER be," One student whispered to another.

"Hmph." A blond haired girl sitting next to Sakura smirked. "That girl doesn't stand a chance. I can't believe she's only just started at this. Pfft, what a wimp…"

"You don't have to be sore just because you didn't get to sit next to Sasuke, Ino." Sakura snapped, glaring at her.

Ino returned Sakura's glare, gave another mad 'hmph' and averted her attention to the front of the room, where Sasuke was just about to start. He threw the first kunai at the target and hit the first red circle on the target. Girls started squealing and cheering him on. His second was only one section away from the bulls-eye, and everyone in the room seemed to be interested. Nobody had gotten a bulls-eye yet. However, the next three kunai didn't hit the center; the third barely hit the tip of the target, the fourth hit right under where his first had hit, and the fifth hit slightly to the left of where his second had hit.

"Very good Sasuke," Iruka said after the last kunai was thrown. He walked over and pulled the weapons out of the target, "I see you're still the best in the class," He smiled.

Sasuke didn't say anything, because he was disappointed that he didn't hit the bulls-eye. He only smirked, which made the girls in the room squeak again, and started to step back so that Izumi could go.

"Good job Sasuke," Izumi smiled. She wanted to at least say something to him once, "That was really impressive."

Sasuke merely nodded and quietly said, "Thanks…"

"Here you go Izumi," Iruka handed her the kunai. "Good luck!"

Before she started, Izumi heard the unfriendly chatter spreading across the room again. However, she tuned it out, and by the time she raised her arm to throw the first one, the talking stopped. She threw it, and it hit the first red circle. A little bit of murmur spread around again.

"Wow, she actually hit it," One student joked. Izumi ignored that remark and threw the second one. It hit directly under the bulls-eye. Excited talk once again spread through the room, and as soon as Izumi picked up the third one, you could hear a pin drop in the room. She threw it, and it landed on the first white circle. Now some students sounded like they were disappointed.

Izumi took in a deep breath, focusing on her target, and the fourth kunai was thrown. Everyone in the room gasped in disbelief. Izumi had just hit the bulls-eye; dead center. The talking grew fast and excited.

"She actually hit a bulls-eye?! No way!" One student hissed to another. Izumi didn't let it go to her head though; she simply focused on her last kunai. This time, when she reached for the kunai, it went dead silent. She looked at her target for a second, and then threw the last knife at the target.

CLANG!

No one could believe their eyes when the kunai dropped to the floor. However, it wasn't Izumi's last kunai that hit the floor; it was the one she had thrown just before. The fifth kunai slammed into the fourth and knocked it onto the ground, taking its spot in the center of the bulls-eye. For a moment, everyone was silent, their mouths agape and eyes wide. Even Sasuke looked surprised.

Izumi's eyebrows rose. She didn't expect to his the bulls-eye twice…. She didn't even think that was possible.

"Izumi…" Iruka said, bewildered, "That was really something…" He walked over and took the kunai out from the target, shaking his head at the bulls-eye, "Alright everyone…" He said, "That's it for today. You're excused."

Izumi walked back up to her desk to collect some notes that she had written. As everyone left, they looked at her with amazement and jealousy. She tried to avert her eyes from their gazes, but still felt them… Sasuke was the last to leave. Just as he was about to go, Izumi piped up.

"Um… Sasuke…?" He paused for a moment, not turning to face her, "Thank you for being my partner today… I'm sorry if it was irritating; I don't compare to you at all."

Sasuke didn't say anything for a moment but then gave a sharp, fast chuckle, "You certainly best me in kunai use... It doesn't matter though…" He left without another word.

After Izumi watched him go, she got her papers and walked down to Iruka. "Thanks for class today Iruka sensei," She bowed, "I had a great time."

"No problem," Iruka said, smiling, "You were magnificent today Izumi. I've never seen something like that happen. You must have a natural talent for ninja tools."

"Thank you," Izumi smiled, "but I think it was just luck… Anyway, I'll leave you to finish your work. See you later sensei!" She waved goodbye and walked out the door.

Iruka waved, and after she left, he sighed sadly. He hadn't said anything, but he heard all of the rude comments made towards Izumi, and he thought it was terrible, "I really hope things get better for her…" He said to himself.

Meanwhile, Izumi was walking back to the Hokage's Tower with her notes in her arms. In front of her, she saw a couple of students from the class today… She didn't like the smirks they were giving her and tried to walk past without making eye contact.

"Hey look, it's the chick that got the bulls-eye…" One said in almost a mocking tone.

"I think she rigged the target, don't you?" Another one continued. They stepped in front of her, "Fess up, what did you do to it?"

"I didn't DO anything," Izumi said sharply, "Now let me pass please…"

"I don't think so…" Said the one that had a mocking voice.

"Besides, I don't think she has a family to go home to anyway," the second one said, "I mean, how can you have a family in the Leaf Village and just be starting on your training now? If she DOES have parents, then they're a couple of hack jobs!"

That blew the fuse, "You pathetic excuses for ninjas," Izumi said, her voice full of venom, "Get lost!"

Unfortunately, the boys didn't go away. They glared at Izumi, and then one of them punched her right in the face. She fell to the ground in shock, dropping all of her papers.

"Listen up," The one that punched her said, "You make another crack like that and we'll rip your arms off… Pfft, come on, let's go… She's not worth our time…" They left, but not before deliberately stepping on Izumi's well taken notes.

"Are you ok?" Izumi heard a very familiar voice over her. She looked up and her eyes widened. Standing over her was a young boy with spiky blond hair, blue eyes, whisker-like markings on his cheeks, and a pair of green goggles around his forehead.


	3. A Bowl Of Ramen And A Friend!

It was Naruto Uzumaki! The main character of one of her favorite shows! Izumi couldn't wait to meet Naruto, and here he was!

"…Y-Yeah, I think so…" Izumi stammered, trying so very hard not to trip over her own tongue. She scrambled to pick her papers up, wincing a little at her throbbing cheek.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner; I couldn't believe those guys hit you!" Naruto exclaimed in his high pitched voice.

"N-No, it's alright…" Izumi said after she had picked up all of her papers.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki by the way," he announced, "You're that new girl Izumi, right?"

Izumi nodded kind of sheepishly, but then reminded herself not to act stupid in front of the people here.

"That kunai thing that you did today, that was awesome!" He laughed kind of evilly, "Finally! Someone who can beat Sasuke!"

Izumi laughed as well, and then smiled at Naruto, "I don't know… I kind of got the impression that he doesn't like me,"

"He doesn't like anybody…" Naruto said in an annoyed tone, "I didn't see you drooling over him though."

Izumi shook her head, "Nah. I don't do those kinds of things. If those girls really like him, they should stop bugging him so much…"

Naruto smirked; she seemed nice enough, and she didn't think he was a jerk like the other girls did. He looked at the bruise on Izumi's cheek and frowned, "How hard did they hit you?"

"It's not that bad…" Izumi said, "I'm not bleeding or anything. It's just a little bruise."

Naruto was silent for a minute, but then heard something that sounded like churning. Izumi quickly grabbed her stomach and blushed.

Naruto laughed, "You're hungry, huh? I know this great place that has the BEST ramen in the world!"

"Really?" Izumi said, already knowing which place he meant, "I love ramen!"

"That's good," Naruto nodded, "but… uh oh…"

"What?"

"I just remembered that I don't have any cash…" he muttered in defeat.

"Don't worry, I have money," Izumi said, "I can pay for both of us."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's go!!"

…………………………………………………..

"Lord Hokage, may I come in?" Iruka asked as he slightly opened the door to the Hokage's room.

"Certainly Iruka," The Hokage nodded, and Iruka stepped in, "How did it go today?"

"Well, it's hard to explain…" Iruka mumbled.

"How so?"

"Well, today, we did a kunai exercise, and Izumi got two bulls-eyes in a row!"

The Hokage looked surprised, "Well, looks like we've got another weapons expert…"

"But…" Iruka cast his eyes down, "I'm afraid the students aren't used to having a person older than them just starting…"

"… A fight?" The Hokage asked warily.

Iruka shook his head, "No, but there were a lot of unfriendly comments towards her today, and I'm just worried that she might actually get beaten up for it. She's an excellent student though; she was taking notes all period and always paying attention."

"She wasn't distracted by Sasuke?" The Hokage joked.

"No, and I even had her go sit by him," Iruka laughed, "She was very polite towards him, and she barely looked at him all day."

The Hokage smiled, "She doesn't seem like the kind of girl who would faun over a boy like the others do…"

"Yeah, I-" Iruka looked around, "Where is she anyway, if I may ask?"

"… I thought she came in with you…" The Hokage said, seriousness starting to creep up into his voice.

Iruka looked concerned now, "N-No, she left at the end of class… But where could she have gone?"

All of a sudden, Izumi stuck her head in the door, being careful not to show the side with the bruise on it, "Lord Hokage, I'm sorry for being so late…"

"Izumi!" Iruka said, slightly surprised at her coming out of nowhere.

"Hello sensei," Izumi smiled, and then started to duck out of the room.

"Hold on a minute Izumi…" The Hokage said, "Come in here please…"

Izumi sighed and stepped into the room reluctantly, not able to hide her bruise anymore.

Iruka's eyes widened, "I-Izumi, where did you get that bruise??"

"That's quite a shiner…" The Hokage said.

"Oh… It's nothing much… I just got in a disagreement with a few boys from the class…" Izumi said, trying to keep the details as small as possible.

"They punched you!?" Iruka said in disbelief.

"P-Please sensei, it's not much… They went away after a minute anyway…" Izumi said.

The Hokage looked seriously at her. He knew that she didn't start the fight, but that the boys attacked her because she was different…

"… I did make a good friend today though!" Izumi said, desperately trying to change to subject.

"Who?" Iruka asked.

"Actually, he came up to me after those boys left and asked me if I was ok…" Izumi started, "His name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

Iruka and the Hokage both looked surprised, "Naruto??" Iruka said in disbelief.

"Yeah, he's a great guy I think, but it seems like everyone else in the village doesn't like him at all. We went out and had ramen at the Ichiraku Noodle Bar, so that's why I'm so late…. Sorry."

The Hokage smiled, "That's quite alright Izumi… You can go now."

Izumi bowed, "Thank you Lord Hokage. See you tomorrow Iruka sensei!" She waved and left the room, leaving the Hokage and Iruka smiling.

"I never would've guessed…" Iruka said, chuckling.

"I'm happy that she's friends with him though," The Hokage said, "I think he needs someone like her…"

Iruka nodded, "Yeah…"

After Iruka finished talking with the Hokage, he stepped into Izumi's room momentarily. She had all of her notes sprawled out across the floor, and she was looking at them intensely. She looked up and smiled when she saw Iruka.

"Hello!" Izumi said warmly.

Iruka returned her smile as best as he could, not able to avert his eyes from her bruise, "What are you doing, Izumi?"

"Oh, I'm training," she said, "at least… I think I am. I don't have much of a study basis yet…"

"That's alright," Iruka replied, "It's good that you're training on your own."

"Hey sensei!" Izumi said excitedly, "Watch this!" She stood up and put her hands in the hand sign of the Rabbit, "Clone Jutsu!" She announced. At that moment two other clones appeared beside her. However, they disappeared within thirty seconds. She seemed a little out of breath.

"Very good!" Iruka said, actually pretty impressed, "It's only your first day and you can make 2 clones of yourself!"

"Well… It's not a whole lot yet…" Izumi said, "I can't hold it out for very long, so that's why I'm practicing."

"… I don't want you to overwork yourself…"

"I won't, don't worry! So, what did you need sensei?"

"Well, I just came in to tell you that I won't be taking you to class with me tomorrow."

Izumi grew a little upset at hearing this news, but didn't question her sensei, "Alright then… So will I have the day to myself?"

"I think so," Iruka nodded, "Lord Hokage wants you to familiarize yourself with the village first and foremost next to your training."

Izumi nodded. She wouldn't let the Hokage down, or her sensei, "I understand. Thanks Iruka sensei!"

"Don't mention it," He started to walk out, but said, "Oh, Izumi, would you try and get that bruise healed? I'm afraid it bothers me a lot…"

Izumi chuckled and nodded, "Ok. There's a Hospital around, right? I'll go there tomorrow. I'll say I have permission from a teacher!"

Iruka smiled, "Thank you... Well, I'll leave you be. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" Izumi called out to her sensei as he left the room. She sighed and lightly put her hand on the bruise, "It bothers him, huh?" she thought, "I'm glad he cares…"

Afterwards, her mind was set on training, and she was up until midnight before she looked at the clock and realized what time it was. She quickly got changed for bed and lay down in the bedroll. She fell asleep almost instantly, and dreamt dreams of all the people she had met that day.


	4. Welcome To Training

The next morning, Izumi woke up at about seven. She stretched as she sat up and got dressed quickly. Today was her free day! She could hardly wait to tour around Konoha, not to mention get some training in. After she got dressed, the first thing she did was go into the Hokage's room. However, when she walked in she saw that he had left the area. She went down a few doors and asked a Chuunin if he had seen the Hokage. He instructed Izumi that the Hokage had gone up to the top of the tower, right under the Hokage faces. She followed his instructions and walked to the top of the tower, seeing the Hokage at the other side, looking at the faces with his pipe in his left hand.

"Lord Hokage…?" Izumi walked up to him cautiously, not wanting to interrupt him if he was doing something.

"Hmm? Ah, Izumi. Good morning."

Izumi walked up next to him and looked at the faces as well, "Good morning sir."

I hope you got some rest last night," The Hokage continued, "You seemed to be up most of the night."

Izumi's face grew hot as he told her this; she felt very foolish, "Sorry Lord Hokage, but I had lost track of time."

"You were training?" he guessed.

Izumi nodded, "Yes. Oh, and I must thank you for putting me in that room. In the bookcase, there are some very good books on tactics and jutsus. It's already helpful."

"You're welcome," The Hokage said, "but you really don't have to start training this intensely yet. It's only your second day."

"I know," Izumi said, feeling foolish again, "but it's all so exciting…"

The Hokage gave a hearty laugh and put a hand on Izumi's shoulder, "You just woke up, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Then let's go have some breakfast, shall we?"

Izumi smiled and accepted his invitation right away. They went back into the tower and sat at a table in another one of the rooms. Izumi was having just the basics; cereal and milk. The Hokage merely had tea. When Izumi asked why he said he had already eaten earlier. They chatted about what Izumi was going to do, and they even discussed the Hokages. After the meal was finished, Izumi excused herself.

"I'm going into town, ok?" She said.

"Will you need money?" The Hokage asked.

"Oh no! Please Lord Hokage, I'll be fine."

"Very well. I hope you enjoy it."

"I will sir!" With that, Izumi left the room. The Hokage laughed as she left.

"She's a fun girl, Izumi. She'll make a great ninja…"

"Let's see…" Izumi thought to herself as she roamed the streets of the Leaf Village, "Where should I- Oh, yeah… The Hospital." She remembered Iruka's request the night before and decided to go there first so she wouldn't forget. Of course, she had no idea where the Hospital was, so she stopped by the Ichiraku Noodle Bar and asked Teuchi for directions. After she got them, she thanked the man and started walked there, looking at the different street markets and vendors that were stationed around Konoha's streets. People kept staring at her from time to time because of the giant bruise she had on her face, and that made her want to get it healed even more.

Finally, she reached the Hospital. She put her hand on the door to open it, when she noticed someone walking towards her from the side, holding a bag of groceries. It was Kakashi!

"Oh, Kakashi sensei!" She called out to him, smiling.

He smiled at her when he saw her, "Hey Izumi. How've you been?"

"Well, you know… Ups and downs of being new…" She stammered, and her bruise showed.

"Whoa. Didn't see that…" Kakashi said, "How did that happen? Are you getting into fights already?"

Izumi shook her head, "No, I just had a disagreement with a couple boys in class yesterday."

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, "Why anyone would do that to a beginning student is beyond me… So, are you here to have it healed?"

"Y-Yeah," Izumi said nervously, "Actually it was a request from Iruka sensei. He said that it bothered him…"

Kakashi chuckled, "Ah, he just doesn't want you to be hurt is all…"

"I know," Izumi smiled, "So what's been going on with you?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Not much. I'll be getting a new squad soon."

"Oh! It is almost that time, huh?"

"Yup. In fact, I think the Graduation Test is in a couple days."

Izumi knew for a fact that Kakashi's squad would be Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. She also knew that they would pass the test that Kakashi gave them and officially become ninja. However, she didn't let Kakashi know this.

"I bet your squad will be terrific!" Izumi smiled at Kakashi, almost laughing.

"I hope so…" Kakashi said, "I just hope they're not too much of a pain…"

"_Oh well, he'll learn the hard way_…" Izumi thought to herself.

"Well, I should probably let you go and get yourself fixed…" Kakashi said.

"Yeah," Izumi nodded, "Bye Kakashi sensei! I'll see you later!"

Kakashi waved goodbye to Izumi as he left with his bag of groceries, and then Izumi walked into the Hospital.

"Can I help you?" A medical ninja at the front desk asked.

"H-Hello… I need a bruise to be healed please… I was sent by Iruka Umino…" Izumi said anxiously.

The ninja laughed, "Ah yes, that Iruka… Always worried about his students… Come here, miss, I can fix you right away…"

Izumi walked closer to the ninja as he made some hand signs and then placed one of his hands on Izumi's cheek. In a few seconds, the bruise was gone. Izumi felt her cheek, astounded.

"Thank you very much!" She said, smiling, "Do I owe you anything? I have money."

The ninja shook his head, still smiling, "Nah, this is your first time here anyway… You shouldn't have to pay for something trivial like a bruise."

"Thank you," Izumi bowed politely and left the Hospital, waving goodbye to the ninja at the front desk. "Wow…" Izumi muttered as she stepped outside, "I really hope I can learn some medical ninjutsu someday… Hey, maybe that's what I'll study tonight."

Afterwards, she wandered around town some more, buying some fruit and supplies from one of the vendors and then going into a bookstore to buy a couple books on ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. She wanted to learn all she could to make the Hokage proud of her.

After all of her 'errands' were finished, she went back to her room in the Hokage's tower, and dropped off her bag of supplies there. Then she could feed herself without the Hokage having to worry about doing it. She then immediately took out her books and glanced over them. She decided that since it was a nice day out, she would go outside and practice taijutsu at the training grounds.

When she got there, she decided that she would start off with pushups to condition her body a bit. She stopped for a brief moment when she remembered that she was terrible at pushups back at her other home; her other life. She shook her head though, and began to do them. To her surprise, it was a bit easier, but she almost crashed after only thirteen pushups.

"No!" She said out loud, glad that no one else was around to hear her yelling at herself, "If I can't do twenty pushups, then I'll do twenty more!" She started over, counting out loud the number of pushups she was doing.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the forest by the training ground, someone was watching Izumi train, and listening to what she was saying, "… Who is she? I have never seen her around before…" He thought as he watched her stop doing pushing and start doing sit ups, "She sure sounds determined…" The person decided that they would come back in a few hours, so that they didn't disturb Izumi's training.

During those few hours, the sky turned black with clouds, and rain started to slowly fall to the earth. By the time the person came back, it was a downpour. He had an umbrella with him, just in case Izumi was still there. To his surprise; she was! She was throwing punches at one of the three training posts that stood in the grounds, "She is still here…" The person said in amazement. He listened to Izumi carefully, and was surprised by what he heard…

"If I… Can't do… 150 punches… I'll… do… 150 more!" Izumi was breathing heavily now, but she didn't stop. Even if she was as sore as hell the day after.

The person stood on the branch of the tree with his umbrella for another good hour, just watching Izumi. Finally, he came up behind her and put the umbrella over her head. She turned around in confusion when she realized the rain was no longer hitting her.

"If you stay out in the rain unprotected for too long, you will catch a cold and not be able to train," he said.

For the umpteenth time, Izumi had to bite her lip to keep from springing up and hugging the person standing by her.

"I do not believe I have seen you around here before. What is your name? Mine is Rock Lee," He said.

"I-I'm… Izumi Takahashi…" Izumi said, still quite out of breath from her long training session.

"I admire your resolve Izumi," Lee said, "but like I said before, it is not good to stay out in the rain too long. It postpones your training."

Izumi smiled, "Yeah… Thanks for the umbrella, Lee." She turned to face him, cracking her knuckles a little. They were bright red and already sore.

"Are you new around here Izumi?" Lee asked.

Izumi nodded, "Yeah… I just got here two days ago. I'm just starting my ninja training."

Lee sounded surprised, "Well, your taijutsu is certainly not amateur, but if you would like, I can give you some help."

Izumi got excited at hearing this. She knew from the series that Lee was one of the best taijutsu users EVER.

"I'd appreciate that very much Lee…" Izumi said, "I bet you have excellent taijutsu."

Lee smiled and then said, "Thank you Izumi… Would you like to come to my apartment and dry off? We can talk about taijutsu afterwards."

Izumi nodded, "Okay."

They walked back with the umbrella over them to Lee's apartment. It was very plain; nothing that really stood out, except for what looked like a punching bag in one of the corners. Izumi was dripping wet, and she felt bad about coming into Lee's home like this.

"I-I'm sorry Lee, I'm getting water all over your home…" She said uncertainly as she looked at the puddles of water behind her, rubbing the back of her head with her hand.

"It is alright Izumi," Lee said, handing her a towel, "Here."

"Thanks…" Izumi wiped off her face with it and then tried to dry the other parts of her body off a little.

After Izumi was dried off a little bit, Lee started talking to her about taijutsu, and showing her different forms and techniques. Izumi found it very useful, and was captivated by how well he did taijutsu. After about an hour of this 'training', they stopped and just started talking. When Lee told Izumi that he had seen her talking to herself on the training grounds, Izumi felt like an idiot. However, Lee just smiled and said that it reminded him of himself. Then he asked her where she came from.

"Well…" She started, "I'm not quite sure… I just came to the village two days ago after being chased by a giant snake, but…" She stopped for a moment, "I've been remembering little bits of things, but they're all just of me running… So I really don't know."

"Do you live by yourself?" Lee asked.

"No, I'm currently living in Lord Hokage's tower."

"Wow, what an honor!" Lee said, dumbfounded.

Izumi smiled, "Yeah, I'm eternally grateful to him for taking me in."

"So, Izumi, what is it that you are training for?"

"… Respect, I guess…" Izumi said in an unsure tone.

"You are not sure?"

"Well, it's just that… I'm new, and I'm your age, which is older than the graduating Academy class… Yet I'm not as strong as I should be… My goal is to be able to beat someone in that class even though I'm behind them in training."

"That is a very good goal, I think," Lee said, smiling. He gave her a thumbs up, "I have the same goal; to prove that hard work can beat pure talent. I can be a splendid ninja just by training my hardest!"

Izumi smiled, "I believe that you can do it," His innocence almost made her laugh. However, after a few more minutes of talking, Izumi noticed that it was getting late.

"Oh, wow, look at the time…" she exclaimed, "Well, I hate to say it, but I have to be getting back to the tower…"

"I understand," Lee nodded, "and I am sure that we will meet each other again!"

Izumi nodded, "Yup. I am too."

"And when you have bettered yourself in taijutsu…" Lee started, "I would like to have a match against you." He smiled.

"It's a deal!" Izumi and Lee gave each other a thumbs up, waved goodbye, and she was out the door.

Luckily for Izumi, it had stopped raining while she was in Lee's apartment, so she didn't have to worry about getting the Hokage's floors all wet. Izumi went quietly into her room and looked around it for a moment, seeing as she didn't have enough energy to go and practice more taijutsu at the training grounds, but wasn't completely tired. So, she decided to read some of the books she had on ninjutsu.

She picked up the bag with the books in it and emptied it on the desk, proceeding to neatly stack them in piles on the side of the desk. When she was done stacking, she picked up the first one about ninjutsu and began to read, her eyes scanning over every single aspect of every single page, an intriguing gleam in her eyes. Two hours had passed and she still had her mind set on studying; she had practiced various hand signs and jutsus, ways to focus her chakra, and different forms of medical ninjutsu. Though she doubted if she had enough patience to learn any of the medical skills she read about. After four hours, it was nearing midnight and she still wasn't through with her research. Iruka had been peering in every now and then to check up on her, and was amazed that she had been up so long.

"Lord Hokage sir…" He walked into the Hokage's room and bowed politely, "I'm sorry for the intrusion so late, but Izumi, she-"

"I know," The Hokage interrupted, "She's studying, isn't she?"

"But it's more then just that sir! She's been at it for almost five hours now, and it's not just reading that she's doing! She's actually getting up and trying these techniques! And what's more… She's completing them! She's progressing so much so fast… It's almost like she's a machine."

The Hokage closed his eyes momentarily and then looked back up at Iruka, "Listen closely in the direction of Izumi's room… Close your eyes and focus."

Iruka did as he was told. Moments after, his eyes shot open in surprise and he spun around to the Hokage, "S-Sir, that's unbelievable! Is that really her??!"

The Hokage nodded, "Yes. Her chakra is so strong right now that you can literally feel it coursing through her veins. She must be practicing a very difficult technique."

"She's… She must be a genius…" Iruka said, quite out of breath, "I've never seen anything like this before… And it's only her third day!"

"True, she probably is… But it's better not to inform her of this- not yet anyway. We don't want her to be pressured into anything. Also, tomorrow we'll let her sleep in as long as she wants; with all of the chakra that she's putting into these jutsus, she's going to be very drained at the end of all this."

"But shouldn't we tell her to give it a rest for tonight?"

"No. It's her decision. Don't worry Iruka; she'll know when she's reached her limits."

"… If you say so sir."

"Good. Now you should go home and get some rest yourself."

"Yeah. Thank you sir," Iruka bowed politely once again and then exited the room, still feeling concerned; He really didn't think it was a good idea to just let Izumi try all these difficult jutsus… What if she used up all of her chakra?

"Well… I'm just going to have to wait and see I guess…" He thought flatly. He paused for a moment before he passed Izumi's room and took another peer inside. He grinned when he saw Izumi asleep on her desk, a book still open in front of her. "Get some rest Izumi; you've worked hard enough today as it is." With that, he walked back to his apartment to get some sleep.

The Hokage puffed a small ball of smoke out of his pipe, looking down at his desk with a furrowed brow, "_Her chakra is increasing much faster than I expected… If this continues, she could be overwhelmed. Her body won't be able to handle all of it."_


End file.
